1. Field
The invention is in the field of inflatable recreational devices which, when inflated, can be climbed and played upon.
2. State of the Art
There are various inflatable devices which can be used as recreational devices. For example, there are large inflatable bodies on which people, particularly children, walk or jump for amusement purposes. There are large inflatable cylinders which have hand and foot holds secured thereto so the sides of the cylinders form practice climbing walls for the practice of rock climbing. These bodies are generally formed by air impervious material forming a closed interior space that can be filled with a fluid, such as air, to inflate the body. The body takes a natural form when inflated. For example, if the material is in an elongate, relatively thin form the inflated structure will be of an air mattress or pillow form and increased inflation will cause rounding of the body, similar to a tube. A single tube would be rounded and not form a flat surface. Where relatively flat surfaces are desired, such as for air mattresses or similar inflatable structures, the body may include a series of baffles or tubes attached to opposite sides of the body to tie the opposite sides together to create relatively flat sides to the structure. If more than one baffle or tube is used, the baffles or tubes are arranged parallel to one another.
Many of the large inflated bodies, such as the walking and jumping surfaces, are inflated on a continuous basis by a blower continually supplying air to the interior of the body. This means that the body has to be connected by a hose to the blower, and the blower has to be connected to a source of power. This limits the positioning of the body and causes some safety problems with wires extending to the blower and hoses extending from the blower to the body.